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Skirmish at Runestone Summit
The Skirmish at Runestone Summit '''was a conflict between several members of the Eternal Companions and the last remnants of the Corvus Renegades, and took place at Runestone Summit at the end of the Quest of the Twisted Oak. It resulted in the destruction of the Corvus Renegades and the death of several key figures within the Eternal Companions. History lIn total, 22 members of the Eternal Companions attended the event, including: * Ikeda Cao * Katheryne Sévérine * Alec Kylar * Berny * Khardan * Khadal † * Dregg Ortega * Taylor Benson * Monica Cantu * Hyun-Shik Pham * Isamu Ha * Ryan Ingram * Jae Karune * Sendoh Tran † * Konar Huynh † * Davith Stone † * Norbert * Rashid Cassius † (Norbert's Boyfriend) * Thomas Dau (name needed) † * Johnny Nguyen (name needed) † * Lateef Xalvador † * Rainydayas (Hyun-Shik girlfriend) ''Prelude'' For several months after the the Culver Trail, in which the majordomo of Culver and its citizens condemned those responsible for the Culver Massacre, Executor Ikeda and his task force searched for those who escaped justice, especially Imperator Far'ukor. Spreading his forces far and exceeding many of his resources to find him, Ikeda eventually enlisted Alec's secret squad, the Rune Rogues, to track down the wanted man. Meanwhile, Far'ukor and his remnant forces ventured into the Khanduras mountains in search of shelter; the Imperator's path lead him into the Twisted Oak Valley, a place that would conceal him from the hierarchies and governments that sought after him. Whilst the Corvus Renegades settled into their new home, the Rune Rogues, being expect trackers, made progress in tracking down Far'ukor throughout the Khanduras mountains. On September 12th, while Far'ukor's forces raided a mountain village, a denizen revealed a hidden location in the Twisted Oak Valley that held multiple Rune stones. Having learned months prior from Doug Dogo that Ikeda's forces utilized runes in their weapons and armor before combat, Far'ukor took heed of the location of Runestone Summit and began a long, grueling trek to it's location. The denizen who revealed the location was an elder named Magul and dared not triful with the powers of the Runes and warned Far'ukor, but was brought as a prisoner and later forced to do labor. By the morning of September 14th, the Corvus Renegades reached the summit and began harvesting the runes to sell or use in future endeavors. The next day, two of Alec's agents of the Rune Rogues, Ladislav and Azorian, saw what was transpiring on top of Runestone Summit during a scouting mission; they returned to Alec and reported their finding of the Corvus Renegades, alas Alec informed Executor Ikeda that immediate attack would be wise before the Corvus Renegades could use the runes to their benefit. Magul was defiant against his captors, assuring them of their failings in future endaevours and warned Far'ukor that he forsaw his death. Far'ukor payed no heed to the elder's warnings yet remained intrigued, thus took a dozen of his soldeirs and ventured north to a roadside tavern on the outskirts of Twisted Oak Valley to find relaxation. Magul remained at the summit as a captive by Far'ukor's men and forced to dig up the runes within the stone. Sebastian Blatchford, a heavy-armor juggernaut and Far'ukor's right-hand, was left in charge of the Renegades in the Imperator's absence. Across the valley, Ikeda and his followers set up camp as a rendezvous point and the Rune Rogues pressed forward on scouting the valley. While everyone rested, Katheryne, Lateef and Alec prepared their comrades for battle by enchanting their armor and weapons with magic; Ikeda, Bernardo and Khardan formulated a plan to ambush the Renegade soldiers who remained on top of the summit. Monica tasked herself at scouting the hills surrounding the valley and evaluating the perimeters, in which Isamu, Taylor, Davith and Khadal volunteered on helping her. '''The Showdown at Salty Dog Tavern On the outskirts of Twisted Oak Valley, Khadal the Barbarian, brother to Khardan, saw fit to find food and rest at the roadside tavern Salty Dog. Monica Cantu and her shadowcat mount The Dame crossed paths with Khardal while searching the hills for Renegades and insisted she go with him to share each other's company by drinking ale. By noon, they come across the roadside tavern hosting several of the Far'ukor's men, Renegade soldiers. Among them, Monica recognized Konar's wife Ona held captive by the Imperator and his men. Monica sends her shadowcat back to the rendezvous to call for help, whilst Khadal makes for the entrance before being convinced by Monica to stop and wait for backup, but they are discovered by one of the soldiers and enter the tavern. Though several of the soldiers are fearful of the Khadal the Barbarian, Far'ukor makes conversation with him, not knowing the pair are members of the Eternal Companions, and offers him a place in their band. After Khadal refused and the two men traded insults, they engaged in a fight. and his soldiers are greeted by Khadal and Monica inside the tavern, unaware of their intentions to kill him.]] Khadal killed several soldiers during the tavern brawl, whilst Monica attempted to rescue Ona from the clutches of Far'ukor. The Imperator and his remaining men eventually spewed out of the tavern and onto the road. Khadal followed in pursuit and challenged Far'ukor to a duel, but his opponent declined and moments later Renegade cavalry arrived and surrounded the Barbarian while Monica hid from view. Khadal dropped his weapon and surrendered peacefully but was left to the mercy of Far'ukor and was executed by a volley of arrows from the horsemen. During the tavern brawl, Alec had intercepted the The Dame and recognized the shadowcat's heightened alertness, and assumed that Monica's absence meant trouble was not far. Alec arrived upon The Dame to witness the death of Khadal, then he intervened and saved Monica from her own execution by miraculously slicing the bows of the archers who were lined up and about to kill her. Alec's shadowstrike drove fear into the nearby horses, and Alec and The Dame jumped into action to slay any Renegades that crossed their paths. Far'ukor, using his enchanted sword, crossed blades with Alec and surprised the Dark Templar with the blade's tremendous power; The Imperator taunted the Dark Templar by revealing the sword's origin through Doug's involvement in reluctantly crafting it. While Alec dueled Far'ukor amidst the chaos, Monica mounted The Dame as it scared away the cavalry and fled into the Twisted Oak Valley after Alec yelled to her "Go and find Ikeda!" As Monica and The Dame raced back to the rendezvous where Ikeda was located, she glanced back at Alec one last time and witnessed him struggling an intense duel against the Imperator. Renegade horsemen pursued her into the forest in an attempt to stop her but ultimately failed after she and her shadowcat used the trees as their advantage to flank the Renegades. Nearby, Isamu heard the commotion and intervened by aiding her by slaying two of Far'ukor's horsemen. The pair safely made it back to Ikeda and warned him of Khadal's death, Far'ukor's whereabouts, and Alec's unknown fate. When Monica revealed out loud that Ona was still Far'ukor's captor, Konar left in a fit of rage to go track down the Imperator and rescue his wife; Chan volunteered to follow and aid Konar as an act of insubordinate, for Ikeda commanded both of them to stay as a group and to not wander off, but both ignored his orders. Khadal also showed grief and rage in the news of his brother's demise. The Battle With the instigation of imminent battle, Ikeda gathered his band and began setting up an ambush at the Runestone Summit. With Alec still missing, Ikeda informed the captain of the Rune Rogues, Sir William Grandison, of the events that transpired and request that he and his men set a perimieter around the Twisted Oak Valley. Sir William complied with Ikeda's instructions and told the Executor to blow the horn twice if he needed reinforcements from the Rune Rogues. Meanwhile, Alec escaped from Far'ukor and his men during the showdown and returned back toward the valley to find his comrades. Davith Stone is captured by Renegade soldiers during a scouting mission deep within the Twisted Oak Valley, but his whereabouts remain unknown by his comrades for a duration. Aftermath To Be Continued....